City guide · Georgia

Decatur Trash Pickup Schedule

This Decatur trash pickup schedule bundles more into one flat annual fee than most cities in this guide: garbage, yard trimmings, recycling, street sweeping, and bulky item pickup are all covered under a single sanitation charge, with everything collected together on your assigned day. Here's exactly how the Decatur garbage collection schedule works and what that fee actually covers.

How often is trash picked up in Decatur?

The Decatur curbside collection schedule collects garbage, recyclables, yard trimmings, bulky items, and appliances all as part of the same weekly collection, ready for pickup by 7:30 AM on your assigned day.

All streams share the same collection day for a given address, so there's only one day a week to remember.

Find your exact pickup day

Every address on the Decatur trash collection calendar has its own collection day - there isn't one schedule for the whole city. The Public Works Sanitation Schedule is the accurate source:

Look up your address on decaturga.com →

For billing or route questions, contact Decatur Public Works directly through the city's Public Works FAQ page.

Bin placement rules

• All items ready for pickup by 7:30 AM on collection day
• Containers can go out after 5:00 PM the day before collection
• Remove containers from the curb by midnight on collection day
• Keep glass recycling in its own separate bin

Decatur Trash Holiday Schedule

Decatur collects on four service days, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and publishes its own holiday schedule separate from DeKalb County's. The city asks residents to disregard county holiday notices and follow the city schedule instead.

A Monday or Tuesday holiday pushes that day's collection back one day, carrying the rest of that week with it. Thanksgiving is the exception: both closed days are collected early, on the Wednesday before.

Set-out times do not change on a holiday week: carts can go out after 5:00 PM the day before and must be ready by 7:30 AM on the collection day.

What goes in each bin

How much does garbage service cost in Decatur?

Decatur bills sanitation as a single annual fee rather than a monthly charge. The single-family residential rate is set to rise from $350 to $360 a year effective July 1, 2026 - roughly $30 a month if you spread it out, though the bill itself comes due for the full year in the first installment. The fee covers garbage, yard trimmings, recycling, street sweeping, and bulky item pickup together.

Bulky items included

Unlike many cities that require a separate call or scheduled visit, Decatur treats bulky items like furniture and appliances as part of your regular weekly sanitation pickup - no extra appointment needed, and no separate fee beyond the annual sanitation charge.

Reporting illegal dumping

For dumping within Decatur city limits, contact the Design, Environment and Construction Department at 404-377-6198. Since Decatur sits inside DeKalb County, you can also report to DeKalb County Police Services at (678) 406-7929 or 311, or the Stormwater Environmental Comments line at (404) 294-2007 for illicit discharge or drainage-related dumping.

Frequently asked questions

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City contact & resources

Bookmark this Decatur waste collection schedule and check back whenever a holiday shifts the calendar. Need more than curbside pickup? Compare local bulk & junk removal quotes. Browse all Georgia cities or the full state directory.